Green Synthesis of Multifaceted Silver Nanoparticles Using the Flower Extract of Aerva lanata and Evaluation of Its Biological and Environmental Applications

The present investigation signifies the examination of bactericidal, cytotoxic and photocatalytic activity of Aerva lanata synthesized silver nanoparticles. Prior to activity, the silver nanoparticles were synthesized by using the flower extract of Aerva lanata. Further, the synthesized silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV‐vis spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Atomic force microscope (AFM) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM). Among the four test bacteria, the silver nanoparticles show higher bactericidal activity against Klebsiella planticola. The survival percentage of HepG2 cell lines treated with 25, 50, 75 and 100 μg/ml silver nanoparticles was found to be 80.97, 65.98, 42.75 and 26.12 %, respectively. The photocatalytic dye degradation effect of synthesized silver nanoparticles was achieved of about 49.26 % and 35 % against methylene blue (MB) and phenol, respectively. The cytotoxic, bactericidal and photocatalytic activities of non‐toxic flower extract synthesized silver nanoparticles have promising applications in modern medicine. The silver nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by using the flower extract of Aerva lanata. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were characterized by AFM, SEM and TEM. Further, silver nanoparticles exhibited intense antibacterial activity through damage the cell membrane and DNA. In cytotoxic study, the synthesized silver nanoparticles decreased the cell viability by formation of apoptotic bodies and DNA damage. In addition, the silver nanoparticles effectively degrade the methylene blue dye through photocatalysis process.